Iron Butt and camping trip

On Sunday, May 24 09, myself and and the other members of the Bell County chapter of the Knuckledraggers motorcycle club embarked on a 1000 mile endurance ride in accordance with the standards set by the Iron Butt Association.  We needed to do 1000 miles in less than 24 hours and our timetable was complicated by the fact that we were linking with a rider from Washington DC in Tuscaloosa, AL at around the 750 mile point.  Anyway, we made the link and the ride went on as planned, although the weather was on-and-off rainy pretty much all day (and for the next 2 days).  After the run, we all spent the night at a hotel in Tuscaloosa and then went camping just outside Tuscaloosa for 3 nights.  After that, we split back up and our Texas group took a two-day ride back, stopping overnight at a casino in Shreveport.  The vacation was great and everyone make it safely home.  

On a side note, we almost had a disaster only 30 minutes into the ride. While on I-35, traveling in the middle of 3 lanes at around 0330 in the morning, a black SUV blew past us in the passing lane GOING THE WRONG WAY! We were just damn lucky that the driver didn't hit any of us.

The pictures depict me just before starting the ride at 0300 in the morning and later during the day, including one of our many rides in the rain. 

summer fun and adventures

I am happy to report that it hasn't been all work and no play this summer. Between my new job, my parents moving in, and caring for my home, I was certain I wasn't going to get to do anything fun this summer but I was wrong. I haven't done much biking this summer - it's been way too hot - but I have been camping and to a local water park plus a party or two. I'm hoping to get in some scuba next weekend or I might take the folks to Fredericksburg.

The pics I've posted are from some of this summer's activities, including camping and swimming.

home ownership as a second job

Wow, I'm happy to be the owner of a home that doesn't seem to be depreciating, but I really had no idea how much extra work is involved in maintaining a home. It's almost like having a second job.

moving the parents

After a year of planning, my sisters and I finally got my parents transported from Jacksonville, Florida to Copperas Cove, Texas, where they moved in with me. I bought a home last December with the expectation that they would eventually live with me due to their health problems and it finally happened. I sure hope this works out because if it doesn't, there's really no where else for them to go because they cannot live on their own and take care of themselves. So, I spent the weekend transporting my elderly and disabled parents and their 3 cats more than 1000 miles over two days. Whew...

(Africa trip) final thoughts

Here's my final thoughts about some of the major players involved in the wonderful Africa trip I just experienced.

Journeys By Design (UK) - this is the travel agency that set up our trip for us and picked the designations we enjoyed. Gord, our travel agent, and his staff (Julie in particular) were wonderful to deal with. Gord, knowing that none of us had traveled in east Africa before, picked a variety of different experiences for us to try and was at all times responsive with information. The tour packets we received were very professional and thorough, and the transfers between locations that Gord worked out were seemless. If I'm ever lucky enough to get to travel to Africa again, I would not hesitate to use their services again and I would enthusiastically recommend them to others.

Nomad Tanzania - this is the operation that ran the camp in the Serengeti National Park. This was the part of our stay that was probably the most true to an "authentic" old-fashioned rustic safari experience. The guiding we received from Festo was supreme, the food and service was fantastic, and we were perfectly positioned to enjoy everything the park had to offer.

Singita - this is the operation that operates both Faru Faru and the Sabora tented camp. Both facilities were utterly different in character from each other, but both provided an intense level of service and food quality. The facilities at both locations were stunning and luxurious, especially our individual suites at Faru Faru. Of particular note was a magical dinner we had during our last night of the safari at Sabora tented camp where we ate outdoors on our own personal deck. The staff hung lanterns from the trees, prepared this stunning meal, and layed out a beautiful table. The picture I've uploaded is from that dinner.

Finally, my experience in Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic was everything I was hoping it would be. It's going to be tough going back to ordinary coach flights after that!

So, that's a wrap - on to the next adventure!

(Africa trip) picture wrap-up

These are the last of the Africa trip pictures I'm going to post to the blog. I am in Orlando, waiting for my flight home, and when I get home, I'll make one more post as a critique of the trip but probably not with more pics. I have so many pics and I wish I could upload them all.

(Africa trip) wrapping up

Right now, I'm sitting in the Virgin Atlantic first class lounge at Gatwick airport in London. After I leave here, it is unlikely I will ever indulge in this level of first-class travel again. It's going to be hard to give up but it's about time to get back to the real world. At least I've got another long-haul luxury flight to look forward to.

I arrived in Gatwick with a 16-hour layover to look forward to. Staying in the lounge was not an option because it is not open overnight, so I stayed in this interesting and adorable little cube-hotel called Yotel right in the airport which was recommended to me by the Virgin Atlantic staff. It's based on a model created by the Japanese, and each guest is basically issued a little cubicle with a bed, a fold-down desk, and a tiny bathroom/shower combo thing. Each bed unit, which looked a little like a bunk bed, also had a flat screen TV with 50 channels and movies and free wi-fi. And it was relatively inexpensive to stay there so I ended up with an unexpectedly comfortable night and got an awesome amount of sleep.

Anyway, the trip is wrapping up. Our final game drive to the airfield took us through the migration and I got more video and photos of huge herds of wildebeast, zebra, gazelle, and topi. Our flight was on the same small charter plane that brought us in to the Serengeti and when we landed in Arusha, we were met by our earlier guide, Festo, who took us to a coffee plantation for lunch and for some local shopping before taking us to the airport. By the way, I FINALLY saw Kilimenjaro from the ground, although I was not in a position to get some photos. Once back at the airport, civilization intruded and we were back in the crush of annoying passengers, of which the most annoying were fellow Americans. The flight to London on Virgin Atltantic was great - there was only one other passenger besides myself in upper class so it was like I had my own personal fight attendant. And that's about it - I'll be headed back to the states soon and my next update will come from Orlando.